‘Caps’ mean special education students not getting help, report says . . .

Wait lists for special education may be down, but that’s in part because principals are only allowed to assess a small number of children each year, says a startling new look at services for Ontario’s most vulnerable students.
“As a school of (over 600) students kindergarten to Grade 8, we are allowed three psycho-ed assessments for the year,” says one principal quoted in People for Education’s report, to be released Monday. “We decide who the ‘lucky ones’ will be through discussion ... the need far exceeds the availability.”

The report, based on a survey of 1,108 schools across the province, said that while special education wait lists have dropped to 35,000 this year from 46,000 in 2000, about half of principals in both elementary and secondary schools say there’s a cap on the number they’re allowed to assess in the first place. While funding has increased in leaps and bounds to $2.5 billion this year, all the additional money hasn’t meant better services, and People for Education is now calling for a public review of the system.

“We’ve uncovered a really huge problem in special education,” said Annie Kidder, executive director of the non-profit research and advocacy group, who said researchers were “astonished” to learn of the extent of the caps. “It means that there are a lot of kids who aren’t on waiting lists because they can’t be on a waiting list, and they’re not getting the services they need.” About 18 per cent of elementary and 24 per cent of high school students currently received special education, a number that has been growing in recent years. But principals at one board said despite the size of their school — whether 80 or 800 students — they are only allotted two assessments each year, although extras are granted in an emergency situation. One Ontario board told its principals there could be “no assessments for this school year since they are trying to catch up on last year’s referrals.” Kidder said there are several issues at play, including the need for more psychologists and other professionals to actually conduct the assessments. “When you read the quotes from principals, it’s partly triage, partly that they have to assess the kids with the highest needs first,” she said.

Education Minister Laurel Broten said special education is “very important to me” and acknowledged “there’s always more we can do to improve.” “Our government remains committed to special education, and I’m proud that we’ve increased this funding to boards by 55 per cent since coming to office — to over $2.5 billion each year. It’s so important that every Special Ed dollar spent goes directly to services that benefit our kids,” she added. “I thank People for Education for their report, and I know how important it is for the government to work with our partners, like P4E, to improve support for students with special education needs,” Broten said.
A public review would allow parents — who flood People for Education phone lines seeking help — to talk about their children’s needs that aren’t being met and their frustration in getting help.

People for Education also found the ratio of special education teachers to students has gone up, from 22:1 in 2000 to 36:1 this year in elementary schools. In high schools, the ratio has jumped from 48:1 to the current 69:1.

The auditor-general has twice reviewed special education and found there are huge problems, Kidder said, adding that things that should be simple, aren’t. She cites the example of students, formally identified as special needs, moving to another city in the province only to find they have to start the assessment process all over again. “Can we not make it smooth from one board to another?” she said, adding there’s also no standard of what boards count as special education. “That’s why we make the recommendation for a public review, we really need to hear from parents ... somehow we are missing the boat here, and it’s obviously an incredibly important issue.” People for Education has been conducting surveys of Ontario schools annually for the last 15 years. The 1,108 schools that took part this year equal 22 per cent of all public schools in the province.

Special education by the numbers
18 per cent, or almost one in five elementary students receive special education assistance, up from about one in 10 (or 11 per cent) in 2000. Almost one in four high school students receive special education, up from 14 per cent in 2000. The ratio of special education teachers to students is now 36:1 in elementary schools, up from 22:1 in 2000. The ratio in high schools is 69:1, up from 48:1 in 2000. 47 per cent of high schools and half of elementary schools report a “cap” on the number of students they can recommend for assessment.
Source: People for Education